Drink

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum

A Rhode Island tradition is revived

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During the Colonial period, long before coffee milk and Del’s Lemonade, Rhode Island was known for a different beverage – rum. Newport-based distillers would import sugar and molasses from the Caribbean and produce rum that was exported to West Africa in exchange for slaves. By the 1760s, there were over 20 distilleries operating in Newport, making it not only a key node of the “triangle trade,” but the unofficial rum capital of the world.

Toward the end of the century, rum production began to wane as British troops landed, sugar and molasses prices spiked, and distillers moved west to farm cheaper corn and barley for the production of whiskey. Newport’s last distillery closed in 1842 and Rhode Island’s last followed in 1872. The craft would remain dormant for the next 135 years, until it was resurrected in the unlikeliest of places – a brewery.

Brent Ryan is one of four college friends that founded Middletown’s Newport Storm brewery in 1999. They decided to expand into rum a few years later. Ryan explains, “We started as a brewery and never planned on being a distillery. And when we started down that road (as a distillery), our primary goal wasn’t even to be a profitable success. We just wanted to revive rum making in Newport and bring back the tradition.” Thus was born Thomas Tew Rum, named after a 17th century Englishman known as the “Rhode Island Pirate,” considered one of the wealthiest and most influential pirates in history.


In 2007, Brent and his partners received the first license to distill in Rhode Island since 1872. It was the bureaucratic nightmare that one might expect, but Ryan acknowledges the bright spots: “The feds were a problem, basically because of their ambivalence to what we were trying to do. But the state was very helpful and wonderful to work with. They admitted they had never given this license out and didn’t know the process, but they did know it was allowed. We worked through a lot of problems together.”

Today, Thomas Tew is a single-barrel 84-proof rum made from start to finish in the Middletown distillery (which doubles as the Newport Storm brewery). The founders strive to recreate the rum that had been world-famous centuries ago, and the authenticity begins with the first step of the process when molasses, water and yeast are mixed in fermentation tanks. The water is local and the yeasts are brewer’s yeasts, much like what would’ve been available back in the day. The molasses is “blackstrap” – the dark, thick leftovers when sugar is extracted from raw sugar cane. Ryan explains, “Sugar was expensive back then, so the distillers would’ve used the less valuable remaining blackstrap. It can be a challenge to work with, but it’s authentic and makes for a flavorful distillate.”

The fermented mash is then pumped to copper stills where a delicate collection process commences. The mash ingredients fall under “heads,” “hearts,” and “tails,” but a distiller only wants “hearts” in his rum. Distillation takes advantage of the fact that each group has a different boiling point, so the mash is boiled until the first layer – the “heads” – have been vaporized, collected, and removed. The remaining mixture goes through a second round in the still, with the desired “hearts” vaporized and collected before the fatty, oily “tails” appear. Copper–only aesthetic in a brewery – plays an important part as the copper stills react with undesirable sulfur compounds in the vapors, effectively filtering them.

In the final step of the process, the rum will age for two to five years in barrels that help develop its sweetness, spice, oak flavor and color. Ryan notes that the single-barrel production is a hallmark of Thomas Tew: “It’s unusual and it means you’re bottling spirit from one barrel without mixing it with others. If we blended barrels, we couldn’t taste that neat rum that comes from individual barrel nuances. It also means we can’t blend away problems. When you’re a single barrel guy, you have to be tight.”

Detailed record keeping is critical, and each barrel can be tracked to the day it was fermented. But since each barrel is unique, periodic tasting – not a rigid calendar – dictates bottling time. Despite this variability, the final product exhibits remarkable consistency: “We have standards for the various elements, so if you like our rum you’ll like any of the barrel variations. It’s made in the same place with the same process, and it’s more similar to itself year-over-year than another rum... like vintages from a vineyard.”

To get a taste of Thomas Tew rum, you can head to their facility for daily tours and tastings (except Tuesday). Unfortunately, you won’t be able to purchase rum to take home with you – before we get too excited about Rhode Island helping small businesses, it should be noted that we’re the only New England state that doesn’t allow brewers and distillers to sell on the premises. However, the fantastic Thomas Tew staff will happily direct you to convenient retail outlets. Also check the Thomas Tew website and Facebook page for upcoming events. It will be worth the voyage – a pirate’s bounty never tasted so good.

thomas, tew, rum, newport, distilling, company, brent, ryan, the, bay

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